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9/7/11

TEOTWAWKI Wife: Wheat & Bread


This is the good stuff.

When we bought our first bucket of wheat we bought hard white wheat on the recommendation of bloggers/online recipes I had scoured over many times. My husband didn't know there was a difference at the time but I talked him into it because I'd read so many good things about it. Plus he grew up on white bread and I knew that maybe he might like this so called "in between" grain better. 

White wheat has a milder flavor and is supposed to give a lighter texture when used as opposed to red wheat. Also it's the same nutritionally wise so you're not missing out on anything. I actually saw white wheat in the flour section this morning of my Target. Which I was surprised to see, as I've only ever seen whole wheat flour in the stores in my area before. So if you haven't already bought wheat for your supply I encourage you to see what you like best by trying out what's at the store. 

If you have buckets of wheat the one thing you'll need is a wheat grinder! We bought one the day we got our first bucket of wheat. My husband had mixed feelings about all the electric ones and we knew we wanted a hand crank one to start. If you're in a survival situation that's what you'll actually use. So we ended up buying what they had in stock there-the Back to Basics Hand-Grain Mill. Hand mill's aren't for the faint of heart. Make sure you're ready for sore arms. It took a lot of cranking to get enough flour for 3 loaves of bread the other day and it's pretty loud. It doesn't make a super fine flour either, but it's still not bad. I'm sure there are much more expensive ones that do a better job, but not everyone can afford a fancy mill. (Someday we'll be in the market so please make recommendations if you have any.)

I've ground up a little at a time and thrown it in when baking muffins, quick breads, or pizza dough all with great results. There is also a sense of pride that goes along with grinding your own wheat too. It's a great feeling.
 
I've tried baking breads with whole wheat flours but have had several disasters--thick, hard bread. The other day I finally conquered bread making with the wheat. Unlike my past disasters with whole wheat flour, this bread was actually edible and delicious. I used this recipe. It does call for bread flour as well, which we already keep on hand in a bucket for this scrumptious Amish bread.
 
The recipe makes big, soft and delicious loaves, as you can see in the picture above. Overall, a fairly easy recipe to follow and great bread. Low risk, high deliciousness reward. Very easy for a beginner--give it a shot!